


What's in a Name?

by Allura99



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:35:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allura99/pseuds/Allura99
Summary: Pidge and Hunk discuss how she got her nickname. Hint: brothers are jerks.
Kudos: 4





	What's in a Name?

Pidge could feel Hunk's eyes on her as she drank her soda. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly.

She set her can down with a sigh. “Obviously it's something. So what is it?”

“Well,” Hunk began, fidgeting in his chair, “I was just wondering why you're called Pidge. It's not anything close to Katherine or Katie. Is it like a play on your middle name or something?”

She turned her work chair to face him better. If she was honest, Pidge was surprised that they hadn't had this conversation sooner. Of course, the whole revelation that she was a girl and later that she was Katie Holt may have given the team enough to process. Then with the battles and the whole trying to save the universe thing, they may have not had enough time to wonder about her nickname. 

Except for Hunk.

'One of these days, I'm going to kill Matt,' she thought.

It seemed like a no-brainer to use the name when she was infiltrating the Garrison. It was something that she was used to being called but had nothing to do with her real name. And she sure wasn't going to use her middle name.

“My middle name is Elinor,” she told Hunk.

“Huh. So where did Pidge come from?”

She didn't think she'd be using the name for this long. Or for it to stick like it did. Trying to get Hunk and the others to call her Katie had been a lost cause. Shiro probably called her Katie the most, usually when he was deathly serious or trying to get her attention. 

“It came from something Matt used to call me when we were growing up,” she explained. 

“There's gotta be a story.”

She sighed as she debated about how much to tell him. 

Hunk seemed to pick up on her hesitation. “Hey, if you don't want to tell me, forget that I asked.”

“No, it's fine,” she said, giving in. “The summer before sixth grade, I hit a growth spurt.”

She shot Hunk an evil look as he snickered. “Shut up. I did.”

Hunk waved his hands in a placating gesture. “Okay, okay, I believe you.” He suddenly sputtered as he tried to stop another laugh. “Was it like an inch or what?”

“Hunk!”

“I'm sorry! I couldn't help it!”

“Do you want to know or not?”

He took a deep breath to get himself back under control. “Okay, I'm better now.”

“Are you sure?” she demanded.

“Promise. You can continue.”

She took a sip of her soda before going on. “So, anyway, I was taller.” She shot him a look, daring him to laugh again. He pressed his lips tightly together but did not make a sound. “It took a while before I would fill out again. For a while there, I was pretty much just skin and bones. It was summer and I was wearing shorts all the time. Matt began calling me Pigeon Legs.”

“Pigeon Legs?” Hunk blurted out, still trying not to laugh.

“I don't know why I'm still telling you this,” she muttered. “Yes, Pigeon Legs. Which eventually got shortened to Pigeon and later Pidge.”

“Why would you use that name to get into the Garrison?” Hunk asked.

“I needed a name that I would answer to but that wasn't close to my real name. Iverson was looking for Katherine Holt so he could throw her out again. No one knew about Pidge but my family. And Matt was the only who ever really called me that.”

He looked at her thoughtfully. “And now we all call you that.”

“I don't mind,” she said. “I like that you guys call me Pidge.”

He gave her a skeptical look. “Really?”

“It's grown on me,” she admitted. “It's not just a stupid nickname that my brother made up for me anymore. It's my name now, you know?”

He eyed her for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I get it.”

“So, what about you?” she asked, taking another drink of her soda. “How did you become Hunk?”

“Oh, that's easy,” he said with a smile. “My mom's a big Elvis fan. Used to call me her 'little hunk of burning love'. It stuck. No one's call me by my real name in years.”

Pidge opened her mouth.

“Nor do I want them to,” he said quickly.

“Spoil sport,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

He laughed. “You have Pidge. I'm Hunk.”

“To annoying big brothers,” Pidge said, toasting him with her soda can.

“To great family stories,” Hunk said, touching his can to hers. 

They smiled at each other as they finished their sodas.


End file.
